Lately, I have noticed a large number of used handguns for sale, chambered in .40 cal, in local gun stores. Glocks, Sig Sauers, Kahrs, Berettas and more are readily available. I also heard many police departments and the military are changing back to .45 cal.

I would appreciate if someone could confirm if this is a sign of issues affecting .40 cal ammo. Why are so many .40 cal users selling their handguns?

I know .40 cal ammo is not the best caliber for recoil sensitive shooters, but I think it is good for personal defense...

Any thoughts???

__________________
Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.
-Thomas Jefferson -

I can't speak for others. In my case, I have similar guns in .40 and 9mm, and find that I shoot the 9mm guns somewhat better than I shoot the .40 variants. Combine better follow-up shooting with better capacity and current generation 9mm SD ammo quality, and my .40 pistols don't get shot or carried much.

No idea, but I had a difficult time finding a Ruger SR40C for sale on the internet. Was mainly looking up to see what they are going for more than trying to purchase one, but I only found a few for sale.

The military isn't going back to .45 ACP in any significant numbers, and I would guess that the number of used .40 S&W pistols on the market is just a sign of the caliber's popularity. A lot of people are buying and selling them, but that's not necessarily a sign that it's falling out of favor.

I think with the way things have been as of late you can kind of judge a calibers popularity by how many guns of that caliber are setting of the LGS shelves and if you can get ammo for it. This may be unscientific but, the 9mm is surely popular as it for the most part has always been. The .45 ACP has always been popular with police and those that could carry it. .40 S&W did have a surge of popularity but, better 9mm ammo slowed that surge IMO to a trickle.

Educated gun shoppers know that .40 S&W does not offer much over 9mm which is cheaper and has less recoil. So more and more are just buying either 9mm or .45 ACP.

I see much less selection of 45's and 9mm's at my LGS then I do 40's. The Cabelas had nothing but 40's for sale in the "Gun Library".

I think with the way things have been as of late you can kind of judge a calibers popularity by how many guns of that caliber are setting of the LGS shelves and if you can get ammo for it. This may be unscientific but, the 9mm is surely popular as it for the most part has always been. The .45 ACP has always been popular with police and those that could carry it. .40 S&W did have a surge of popularity but, better 9mm ammo slowed that surge IMO to a trickle.

Educated gun shoppers know that .40 S&W does not offer much over 9mm which is cheaper and has less recoil. So more and more are just buying either 9mm or .45 ACP.

I see much less selection of 45's and 9mm's at my LGS then I do 40's. The Cabelas had nothing but 40's for sale in the "Gun Library".

I own a 40 cal but it's a 10mm!

I take issue with "educated gun shoppers." I consider myself very knowledgeable about guns compared to the average shooter and I prefer .40. Liking 9mm or .45 better is fine but there is certainly no widespread consensus that the .40 isn't advantageous over the 9mm. Sure, there are arguments and evidence that support that view, but there are arguments and evidence the other way too, especially in intermediate barrier penetration. The Feds, who devised the ballistic gel tests most current ammo evidence is based on, still overwhelmingly choose .40

Mini-rant over. 9mm is great, .45 is great, but .40 offers no less than those rounds in my - relatively educated - opinion.

It is a very popular cartridge so it makes sense that you will find .40s in the secondary market. Perhaps they sold one to finance another .40 they like better or dropped a gun if they had multiples chambered in .40.

It's hard to tell but I don't believe it is a sign that the . 40 is going extinct.

I'm not a 40 fan but if you're seeing a lot of used Glocks in 40 that's probably just police trade ins. Who knows what they replaced them with. Seems like departments are always switched calibers but don't think they all flock one direction in unison. I can say 40/45 ammo is available locally while 9mm is not.

I think what is happening is that the big bullet crowds vs. the faster bullet crowds are being more defined. There are less people in the middle. I also noticed that two of our local agencies went to .45 ACP in the last two years from the .40.

It has done wonders for ammo availability though. The last two panics have resulted in there being plenty of .40 on the shelves and the price becomes cheaper than 9mm, the "cheap" round.

__________________Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday.

9mm is great, .45 is great, but .40 offers no less than those rounds in my - relatively educated - opinion.

No less, yes...but no more either. IMHO, .40 offers two distinct disadvantages compared to the similarly sized 9mm. Greater (excessive, I think) recoil, and lower capacity in otherwise identical pistols. This, coupled with great advances in 9mm ammunition, are the reasons for declining popularity in .40 caliber.

Around where I live, I can't find many 9mm pistols in stock, but if you want a .40, dealers have plenty.

The 40 S&W is a fine round. I own two 40 cal pistols. The recoil difference in my Gen 4 Glock is much less then other 40 cals I've owned. But I find myself shooting my 9mm more often then not and the price of 45acp isn't much more then 40S&W. In my area Police Depts. have been getting away from the 40S&W with many PDs and State agencies going to 45acp and a some going with the 357sig. The 357 sig round is still being pushed by Sig arms.

A lot or newbie's with their very first gun want to shoot the gun the cops do. They buy a 40s&w and its too much gun/recoil for them to shoot accurately. They trade it in with only a box through them on a 9mm or 38spl wheel gun. The 40s&w is not for the inexperienced shooter. It's a training issue.
This has been a recurring theme at my shop. On the other hand, gun nuts like myself that has shot 10mm for years are buying the 40 because it has evolved hot enough from the factory to being a 10mm substitute at half the cost of ammo. Most 40 guns hold more rounds than a 10mm and is in a smaller package. As a 10mm fan, I hated the 40 when it was introduced but as calibers evolve, I have found the introduction of the 40s&w is the best thing that happens for us 10mm fans. I can find ammo anywhere and not have to rely in my reloads. I now have 4 40s&w and only 1 10mm.
I have hunted and killed deer very efficiently with the 10mm loaded to a 40s&w factory spec. The 40 is perhaps the most versatile auto caliber for those that don't reload the 10mm.

A prediction from past experiences:
After the current gun frenzy calms down, you will be able find a like new high end Sig,Walther, or HK preowned at a nice discount. I am counting on it and will be ready to pounce.

__________________"I'm a good guy with a gun"What do I care if I give up some freedom or rights?....The Goverment will take care of me. This kind of thinking is now in the majority and it should concern you.

"Ask not what you can do for your country, but what free entitlements you can bleed from your country"

Mini-rant over. 9mm is great, .45 is great, but .40 offers no less than those rounds in my - relatively educated - opinion.

I share your views entirely on this issue, LockedBreech-even if some don't respect my level of education when it comes to deciding which firearms I might want for my own individual purposes and reasons. I suppose I'm ranting a little bit too.

__________________
ONLY AN ARMED PEOPLE CAN BE TRULY FREE ; ONLY AN UNARMED PEOPLE CAN EVER BE ENSLAVED
...Aristotle
NRA Benefactor Life Member

Over the last 2 years there's been a trend back toward 9mm which is mostly driven by the economy. Many shooters who were shooting mostly 40, 45 or 357 Sig tended to fall back to the 9mm due to the lower cost of plinking and practice ammo.

Some shooters simply said it was due to the cost. Others justified it based on the performance of upgraded jhp over the last decade or so ("the 9mm will do just as well if you do your part") etc. Some discovered that the recoil of the 40 was suddenly not worth it and that they shot the 9 better. Others that they carried more rounds of 9 than 40 in a small CCW.

There are a lot of particular reasons but it coincides with less disposable cash and the gradual increase in ammo prices.

I've talked some with gun store owners about this for the last year or so. I noticed more Fo-tays showing up on the used gun shelves myself and everyone has noted the increasing cost of ammo.

No less, yes...but no more either. IMHO, .40 offers two distinct disadvantages compared to the similarly sized 9mm. Greater (excessive, I think) recoil, and lower capacity in otherwise identical pistols. This, coupled with great advances in 9mm ammunition, are the reasons for declining popularity in .40 caliber.

Around where I live, I can't find many 9mm pistols in stock, but if you want a .40, dealers have plenty.

And two distinct advantages offset those: superior barrier penetration to either the 9mm or .45, especially auto glass, and being able to fit in a 9mm-sized frame so it can fit shooters who can't handle the girth of a .45

The recoil of the .40 is very exaggerated IMO. I started shooting it regularly, and well, around when I turned ten. The 155s are a bit snarly, but the 180s - which I prefer anyway - are not bad at all.

40 cal is very popular in my neck of the woods. 40 cal ammo is hard to get. The perceived recoil in some pistols is snappy, in others, not so much. The PX4 Storm full size in 40 cal w/ a Hogue HandAll is not snappy to me and very comfortable. In fact, for me, it has a smoother perceived recoil than my SR9 full size 9mm w/o a Hogue HandAll grip. Then again, you find the same analogies made for the P238 and Bersa Thunder 380's when compared to the TCP and LCP 380's in the perceived recoil comparisons. I have fired 38 revolvers that hurt and don't even come close in the ease of shooting as the PX4 stated above. Then again, I have fired 38's that were comfortable.

40 because it has evolved hot enough from the factory to being a 10mm substitute at half the cost

A 10mm substitute? You are are referring to the lightly loaded (FBI Light) that most big ammo companies are selling right?

40 S&W no matter how hot can't be compared to Full house 10mm loads.

I did notice that you said

Quote:

The 40 is perhaps the most versatile auto caliber for those that don't reload the 10mm.

but, what does that mean for those that do reload 10mm? Are you saying that if you reload the 10mm is more versatile? Don't the boutique ammo makers like Buffalo Bore, Underwood and Double Tap offer many of the full power loads in 10mm? So you really don't need to reload to experience the most versatile auto caliber do you?

LockedBreech, I did not mean to insult those that choose the 40. Not being much of a "Wordsmith" I was trying to point out that more people are paying attention to the overall costs and effectiveness of calibers they are considering.

My .40 was a Kahr P40. The light weight of the P40 increased the perceived recoil of the .40 in my arthritic hands. The price difference in .40 versus 9mm ammunition also discouraged shooting the .40, so I sold it. Nevertheless, in the right gun with the right loads and in the right hands I believe the .40 is a very good SD and LEO cartridge.

This email link is to reach site administrators for assistance, if you cannot access TFL via other means. If you are a TFL member and can access TFL, please do not use this link; instead, use the forums (like Questions, Suggestions, and Tech Support) or PM an appropriate mod or admin.

If you are experiencing difficulties posting in the Buy/Sell/Trade subforums of TFL, please read the "sticky" announcement threads at the top of the applicable subforum. If you still feel you are qualified to post in those subforums, please contact "Shane Tuttle" (the mod for that portion of TFL) via Private Message for assistance.

This email contact address is not an "Ask the Firearms Expert" service. Such emails will be ignored. If you have a firearm related question, please register and post it on the forums.